PRINCE WILLIAM COUNTY, Va. - Note to business owners: the next time you need to discard a realistic, life-sized statue of a tiger…please do so with caution!

That's the message from police in Prince William County, Virginia who said one of their officers experienced a moment of…let's just say…shock upon seeing this very convincing replica of a giant cat while on night patrol at a shopping center earlier this week.

We're not sure what happened to that painted tiger. But for one night in February it ruled the alley for one last time.

ON THE BEAT: Note to business owners, when disposing of realistic, life-size animal statues, please do so with caution. While on proactive patrol in a county shopping center, one of our officers experienced a moment of...uh...shock before realizing this little guy was harmless. pic.twitter.com/C3XPfxjN6k